Three different hernias in Jan Blachowicz’s neck were the reason the former UFC light heavyweight champion had to postpone his planned bout with Aleksandar Rakic in March.
At the end of January, the 38-year-old took to his Twitter account to inform fans that he would be unable to make his fight date on March 26, due to what he described as an injury to his spine.
“Unfortunately, I will not fight March 26th at #UFCColumbus. I have an injury in my spine around the neck area. That makes it impossible to train with heavyweights. I need to fix that now,” Blachowicz wrote.
Jan Blachowicz details losing feeling on his left side from multiple hernias
Although his post was definitive, it was still fairly vague in terms of severity. A spinal injury? That seems pretty serious, and it left fans and media wondering how long the man known for “Polish Power” might be sidelined. However, in a new conversation with Sportsnaut, Blachowicz (28-9) revealed more details of the injury that knocked him out of his scheduled return to the Octagon.
“When I started feeling [pain in his neck], I think I didn’t sleep good. [Maybe] a bad position and that’s why I feel pain in my neck. I go to my physio to start rehab but my rehab doesn’t work. And my physio says I think this is something serious,” Blachowicz told Sportsnaut.
“I got to training [afterward] and we do some really light drills and my friend, he kicked me on the head. I [threw up] the guard, but I felt the power. Then the pain went down to my [arm] and turned off [the feeling] down to my left hand. All the left side of my body, to the hip, I could not feel it. So I go, okay, this is not bad sleep, this is serious.”
Blachowicz would eventually get an MRI taken, and the exam revealed that he had three different hernias in the area of his spine near his neck. And two of them were putting pressure on a nerve. Luckily for him, he was able to avoid surgery, was told to rehab for five to six weeks, and keep his training on the light side. Not even sparring.
Get 15% Extra Off At JCPenny’s Spring Sale With Coupon YAYSALE4.
Blachowicz says he will be back soon, and Aleksandar Rakic will still be his opponent
However, the 17-fight UFC veteran admitted surgery could still be in his future. He needs to recover and get back into hard sparring to know if he is really back to normal. But currently, he says he is feeling much better than he did a few weeks ago and is confident he can avoid going under the knife in the near future.
“I know that I don’t need surgery right now. I know that I will be back healthy,” he said.
With a clear blueprint to get back to action, where does that leave the fight with Rakic (14-2)? Is it still on or could a new opponent be found when the second Polish UFC champion in history is ready? In his conversation, Blachowicz said he has already gotten a rescheduled date from the promotion for a scrap with “Rocket,” and fans should expect to see him again soon.
“I told [the rehab plan] to UFC, they know and they sent me an email with a new date [for the] fight. It’s good for me,” he said. “I’ll have time to fix my body and do a really great camp. So, you’re gonna see me soon.”
Blachowicz has not competed since losing his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October.